Flu shot clinics are being held throughout Arkansas. Gov. Asa Hutchinson and State Secretary of Health Rene Mallory got their shots during a free clinic Friday at the Bryant Community Center.
Hutchinson said he has made sure to get his annual shots during each year while in office.
"I want to make sure in this eight-year [term] I want to be consistent," he said. "To set an example for Arkansas and ask them to hopefully get a flu shot vaccination this year."
Mallory said it's important that everyone get a new flu shot each year because strains of the flu can change and adapt over time.
“We at the health department just want to encourage everyone to get a flu shot,” she said. “The reason you need to get the flu shot every year is that the flu shot this year protects against the type of flu strain that we saw last year.”
Mallory said local health units are open in every county for people who want to be protected from the flu. She and the governor were then vaccinated in front of reporters, along with Benton Mayor Tom Farmer and Bryant Mayor Allen Scott.
Neldia Dycus, central region director at the Department of Health, says it's perfectly safe for people to get vaccinated for the flu on the same day they receive a COVID-19 booster shot, as long as they are injected into separate arms.
“Take the vaccine, it will boost your immune system,” she said. “It won't stop you from getting the virus, but it will stop you from getting severely ill."
Anyone interested in finding a place to receive a flu vaccine can learn more on the Department of Health's website.